In the present volume is given a narrative of the chief events connectedwith one of the most formidable military Revolts on record. These events—fromthe first display of insubordination in the beginning of 1857,to the issue of the Royal Proclamation in the later weeks of 1858—forma series full of the romance as well as the wretchedness of war: irrespectiveof the causes that may have led to them, or the reforms which they suggested.The sudden rising of trained native soldiers in mutiny; the slaughter of officerswho to the last moment had trusted them; the sufferings of gently-nurturedwomen and children, while hurrying wildly over burning sands and through thickjungles; and the heroism displayed amid unspeakable miseries—all tended to give anextraordinary character to this outbreak. Nor is it less interesting to trace theoperations by which the difficulties were met. The task was nothing less than that ofsuppressing insurgency among a native population of nearly two hundred millionsouls by a small number of British soldiers and civilians, most of whom were at vastdistances from the chief region of disaffection, and were grievously deficient in meansof transport.

A chronicle of these events reveals also the striking differences between variousparts of India. While Behar, Oude, Rohilcund, the Doab, Bundelcund, Malwah, andRajpootana were rent with anarchy and plunged in misery, the rest of India wascomparatively untouched. Most important, too, is it to trace the influence of nation,caste, and creed. Why the Hindoos of the Brahmin and Rajpoot castes rebelled, whilethose of the lower castes remained faithful; why the Sikhs and Mussulmans of thePunjaub shewed so little sympathy with the insurgents; why the Hindoos of Bengalwere so timidly quiet, and those of Hindostan so boldly violent; why the nativearmies of Madras and Bombay were so tranquil, when that of Bengal was so turbulent?—w

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